The Axeman of New Orleans
Burglar Robber Stalker Hitman |mo = Bludgeoning Throat slashing|victims = 6+ killed 6 attempted|time = May 22, 1918 - October 27, 1919 1910-1920 |status = Presumably deceased|signature = Leaving bloody axes on the crime scenes|image = The Axeman of New Orleans.jpg}} The Axeman of New Orleans was a still-unidentified serial killer active in New Orleans, Louisiana, and vicinity, reportedly from May 1918 to October 1919 (although some, including concurrent ex-detective John Dantonio, speculated his span of crimes began in 1910-1911, while some were convinced it went on from 1915-1917 to 1920. These accounts were later contradicted by the likes of true crime author Michael Newton). Case History First Attacks The first attack attributed to the Axeman occured on the night of May 22, 1918. Italian grocer Joseph Maggio and his wife, Catherine, both had their throats slashed by an unknown intruder, whom then proceeded bashing their heads with an ax he had found in the house. Joseph died minutes after he and his wife were discovered by his brothers, Jake and Andrew Maggio. Police discovered the bloody clothes of the murderer in the house, suggesting he changed his clothes before fleeing. Andrew Maggio, whom worked as a barber, and whose straight razor proved to be the murder weapon, became the prime suspect, but was eventually released. On June 27, another couple was attacked in the night time. Grocer Louis Besumer and his mistress, Annie Harriet Lowe, were found, with head blunt injuries, by a bakery wagon driver. They both survived the attempt. After the arrest and subsequent release of an African-American suspect in the case, Annie (in what was deemed a delirious episode) alleged that Louis was a German spy. Later, she claimed he was also responsible for the June 27 attack. Besumer was arrested and later released. Because of the outcome, the press sensationalized the story. In the early hours of August 5, Anna ("Mary", on some accounts) Schneider, a pregnant woman, was found badly wounded by a blunt force trauma. The intruder also picked up some dollars from Mr. Schneider's wallet. Anna claimed to remember an ax desending on her and then nothing more. The police, eventually, concluded that the murder weapon could have been a lamp found in her house (using his victims' objects as murder weapons was also part of the Axeman M.O.). Another suspect was taken in, but later released. On August 10, an elderly man named Joseph Romano was attacked during the night. He was found bleeding from his head by his two nieces. The latters were also able to spot the intruder fleeing, describing him as a "dark-skinned, heavy-set man, who wore a dark suit and slouched hat". Joseph eventually died two days later of his wounds. This further attack caused likewise hysteria in New Orleans, with everyone fearing an home invasion by the Axeman. On September 13, the Axeman apparently attempted another home invasion but couldn't succeed, because objects were obstructing his way. The method of entry was the same as the other attacks, as well as the targeted victims: grocer Paul Durel Jr. and his family. The first 1919 attack occurred on March 10 of the same year, in Gretna (a New Orleans suburb). The victims were grocer Charles Cortimiglia, his wife Rosie and their daughter Mary. While the latter was killed, her parents survived. At first, Iorlando Jordano and his son were accused by Rosie Cortimiglia and arrested on charges of the attack. Later, as Rosie recanted, they were released. The Letter On March 13, a letter was sent to the Times-Picayune ''that read: ''Hell, March 13, 1919 Esteemed Mortal: They have never caught me and they never will. They have never seen me, for I am invisible, even as the ether that surrounds your earth. I am not a human being, but a spirit and a demon from the hottest hell. I am what you Orleanians and your foolish police call the Axeman. When I see fit, I shall come and claim other victims. I alone know whom they shall be. I shall leave no clue except my bloody axe, besmeared with blood and brains of he whom I have sent below to keep me company. If you wish you may tell the police to be careful not to rile me. Of course, I am a reasonable spirit. I take no offense at the way they have conducted their investigations in the past. In fact, they have been so utterly stupid as to not only amuse me, but His Satanic Majesty, Francis Josef, etc. But tell them to beware. Let them not try to discover what I am, for it were better that they were never born than to incur the wrath of the Axeman. I don‘t think there is any need of such a warning, for I feel sure the police will always dodge me, as they have in the past. They are wise and know how to keep away from all harm. Undoubtedly, you Orleanians think of me as a most horrible murderer, which I am, but I could be much worse if I wanted to. If I wished, I could pay a visit to your city every night. At will I could slay thousands of your best citizens, for I am in close relationship with the Angel of Death. Now, to be exact, at 12:15 (earthly time) on next Tuesday night, I am going to pass over New Orleans. In my infinite mercy, I am going to make a little proposition to you people. Here it is: I am very fond of jazz music, and I swear by all the devils in the nether regions that every person shall be spared in whose home a jazz band is in full swing at the time I have just mentioned. If everyone has a jazz band going, well, then, so much the better for you people. One thing is certain and that is that some of your people who do not jazz it on Tuesday night (if there be any) will get the axe. Well, as I am cold and crave the warmth of my native Tartarus, and it is about time I leave your earthly home, I will cease my discourse. Hoping that thou wilt publish this, that it may go well with thee, I have been, am and will be the worst spirit that ever existed either in fact or realm of fancy. The Axeman The published text of the letter caused widespread panic. On the night of St. Joseph (March 19) all of New Orleans' dance halls were filled to capacity, and professional and amateur bands played jazz at parties at hundreds of houses around town. There were no murders that night. Final Attacks On August 10, Steve Boca, another Italian grocer, was attacked with an ax by an intruder in his home. The bloody murder weapon was left in his kitchen. On September 3, Sarah Laumann was attacked either by the Axeman or by an imitator while sleeping. Just like Boca, she couldn't remember anything of the attack. Again, the bloody ax employed in the attempt was left at the scene. The last attack attributed to the Axeman occurred on the night of October 27. Mike Pepitone, a grocer, was murdered by an intruder who was spotted by Pepitone's wife. Modus Operandi The Axeman mainly targeted Italian immigrants or Italian-Americans whom worked as grocers, presumably stalking them, before the attacks, for an unspecified amount of time. He usually killed his victims with their own sharp or blunt objects, such as axes or hatchets, with which he smashed their heads and faces repeatedly, sometimes fracturing their skulls. He also employed throat slashing and stabbing. The Axeman entered his victims' homes mainly by chiseling panels in their doors and walls. His signature was leaving the bloody axes he had used on the crime scenes, after the attacks. Profile According to eyewitness accounts of survivors, the Axeman was a white working-class male in his 30s when the attacks began. From the ease with which he broke into the groceries and his use of a railroad shoe pin, a common burglary tool, the police concluded that he was an experienced burglar. Crime analysts suggested the Axeman could have been a sexual sadist whom specifically sought female victims, as supported by some of the cases in which the man was wounded while the woman was killed. Writer Colin Wilson hypothesize that the Axeman only killed the man of the household when he attempted to thwart his attack on the female. John Dantonio, a retired detective, was convinced that the Axeman was a ''"Jekyll and Hyde personality, like Jack the Ripper ... suddenly the impulse to kill comes upon him and he must obey it.” '' A less plausible theory is that the Axeman committed the murders in an effort to promote Jazz music, as suggested by a letter attributed him. Known Victims ***Catherine Maggio **June 27, corner of Dorgenois and Laharpe Streets, New Orleans: ***Louis Besumer ***Annie Harriet Lowe **August 5, Elmira Street, New Orleans: ***Anna Schneider **August 10, New Orleans: ***Joseph Romano **September 13: ***Paul Durel Jr. and his family *1919: **March 10, corner of Jefferson Avenue and Second Street, Gretna, Louisiana: ***Charles and Rosie Cortimiglia ***Mary Cortimiglia **August 10, New Orleans: ***Steve Boca **September 3, New Orleans: ***Sarah Laumann **October 27, New Orleans: ***Mike Pepitone Alleged Victims *1910: **April 13, St. Charles Parish, Louisiana: ***Anthony (or Giovanni, either one or the other) Barracca **August: ***A victim named Cruti **September: ***Joseph Rissetto ***Conchetta Rissetto *1911: **June: ***A couple named Davis *1912: **May: ***Anthony Sciambra ***Johanna Sciambra *1917: **December 22: ***Epifanio Andollina ***John Andollina ***Salvadore Andollina *Note: there were other unsolved ax murders in Louisiana during 1911, claiming a total of 16 lives, though the victims were all blacks and none were killed in New Orleans. *1920: **December, Alexandria, Louisiana: ***Joseph Spero ***Joseph's daughter *1921 **January, DeRidder, Louisiana: ***Giovanni Orlando **April, Lake Charles, Louisiana: ***Frank Scalisi}} Suspects Prime Suspect *Joseph Mumfre (unknown - 1920) **Crime writer Colin Wilson, based on an account by author Robert Tallant, suspected Joseph Mumfre (also spelled Monfre, Momfre or Manfre) to be the Axeman. Mumfre was allegedly shot to death in December 1920, in Los Angeles, by the widow of Mike Pepitone. Wilson speculated that Mrs. Pepitone killed his husband's murderer for revenge. **Concurrent reports stated Mumfre was in jail during the Axeman hiatus between August 1918 and March 1919. **True crime writer Michael Newton didn't find any evidence about "Joseph Mumfre" or Pepitone's widow. Nowadays, Wilson's theory is considered to be an urban legend. **On the other end, sources revealed there may have been a man called Joseph Mumfre, Momfre, Monfre or Manfre, in New Orleans, connected to the organized crime and accused of committing a bombing in 1907. However, local records for the period are not extensive enough to positively identify the individual. **Two of the alleged "early" victims of the Axeman, an Italian couple named Schiambra, were shot by an intruder in their home, in 1912. The prime suspect was referred to by the name of "Momfre" multiple times. **Author Jay Robert Nash believed Mumfre to be a hitman working for the mob, whom extorted money from Italian grocers. However, not all the Axeman victims were Italians nor grocers. **According to scholar Richard Warner, the chief suspect in the crimes was Frank "Doc" Mumphrey (1875–1921), who used the alias Leon Joseph Monfre/Manfre. Others * Andrew Maggio **Brother of one of the first reported victims of the Axeman, worked as a barber. **Briefly considered as a suspect in the case, as the straight razor used to kill his brother and sister-in-law was his own. Was eventually released, as the authorities were unable to contradict his statements as well as his account of an unknown man supposedly seen lurking near the residence, prior to the murders. *Lewis Oubicon **An African-American man whom was briefly suspected of the Besumer attack. Was later released because of lack of evidence. *Louis Besumer **Indicted on charges of attacking his mistress, Harriet Lowe, because of her own admission (she had earlier accused Louis of being a German spy, a fact that was allegedly confirmed also by a series of letters). Was later acquitted *James Gleason **A former convict. Was briefly detained on charges of attacking Anna Schneider. He was later released. *Iorlando Jordano and Frank Jordano **Competitors grocers of the Cortimiglias. Suspected of their murders. **Were eventually exonerated, after Rosie Cortimiglia confessed she implicated them out of spite (however, further accounts suggested she was compelled to implicate them by police force members). *Also, as the majority of the victims were of italian descent, the "Black Hand" and the Mafia were briefly suspected to be behind the murders, with the Axeman working as a hitman on behalf of one of these organizations. However, this was deemed improbable, mainly because it was believed the mob wouldn't have left survivors as the Axeman did, and also because of lack of evidence to support this. On Criminal Minds TBA Notes * Despite various opinions, hypotesis and allegations on the identity and/or motives of the Axeman, either by then-concurrent experts and investigators, or contemporary scholars and authors, it is the opinion of the writer of this piece that the unknown murderer was actually really a hitman or "tally man" of some kind. The vicious ax attacks were meant to send a message for the victims (and to other debtors of the mob). Moreover, as i approached several commented articles of the ''Times-Picayune ''of that time, it seemed obvious to me that the large amount of attacks towards Italian grocers (or grocers in general) could not have been a coincidence. I don't know if this hitman really was Joseph Mumfre (or Frank Mumphrey, whom apparently used the latter as an alias), but we can conclude, by common sense, that the majority of the attacks of the Axeman (mostly those connected with Italians or groceries) were mob hits, while the others were either red herrings or committed by copycats or other individuals. The same can be said of the letter. Sources *Wikipedia's article on the Axeman of New Orleans *Ranker: 13 Grisly Facts About the Axeman of New Orleans *The Axeman of New Orleans Preyed on Italian Immigrants | History | Smithsonian *The Axman's Jazz: The Axeman of New Orleans - Neatorama *The year of the Axeman | NOLA.com *Did the Axeman strike New Orleans a century ago? | NOLA.com *In 1907, a corner store was bombed. One culprit would go down in history | NOLA.com *Mysterious 1910 murder and mutilation of St. Charles Parish farmer: Our Times | NOLA.com Category:Stubs Category:Real People Category:Real World Criminals Category:Real Life Killers Category:Real Serial Killers Category:Unsolved Cases